Look Good: Three Phases of Exercise

Look Good: Three Phases of Exercise

By Revathie Dhanabalan

August 11, 2017

Have you given up on that get fit New Year's resolution by now? Some of us may experience a few tough phases when it comes to making exercise a routine. In this series of LOOK GOOD, we run down three main phases that ultimately pushes you to learn to love exercise.

Phase 1: Building Muscle, Breaking Down Fears

Are you starting to notice that you run out of breath from climbing just a few flights of stairs? Maybe your favourite pair of jeans is starting to feel a little snug? This is the stage of awareness, which may stress you enough to take action. These are often things that cause fear about your health and physical appearance. Beat that fear! Use it as a motivator to hit your fitness goals and get you moving.

Phase 2: Sense Of Action

Down the road, we may start developing a set of excuses to avoid workouts. This is phase two, the action phase, when you feel like you owe it to yourself to persevere at getting in shape. At this point, making positive health changes can be easier if you feel it is your duty to do so (to look good, or for health reasons), thus making it actionable.

Start small - for example, go for a 2km walk instead of a 5km run, then slowly increase the pace to a run. If you set increasingly difficult yet achievable goals, you will feel your confidence and self-esteem building gradually. When you feel good about yourself and the progress you have made, it will change the perception of barriers you had in the first phase - making it more powerful than fear.

Phase 3: Maintaining That Hard Work

The maintenance phase is a stage of accomplishment. Your clothes start fitting differently and your stamina has improved. You feel more confident and start embracing the positive changes to your body and this gives you an ego boost. This positive feedback to your body acts as a stimulus that will help you reinforce this habit of exercising. So you keep doing it! The danger now is that you start getting lazy and stop working out. Remember, maintenance is a long-term commitment.

You can change your workout to keep it interesting and stay motivated, but you have to keep working out! Here are some fitness motivation made easy:

#1: Celebrate Success With A Snooze

Give yourself the gift of rest and choose a day to move your AM workout to the PM. Snuggle in and enjoy it, because it is back to business tomorrow! Check out the benefits of doing nothing when you are taking a break.

#2: Get New Gear

One of our favourite ways to celebrate a milestone is buying something new to keep us moving. Whether it is a workout attire or new equipment, adding awesome tools that will enhance your workouts is a great way to celebrate success! Besides, you may need better fitting clothes now that you have lost some weight! Looking to figure out where to get affordable sports gears in Singapore - check out Royal Sporting House to get you started!

#3: Pay To Be Pampered

Looking to go big on your rewards? Why not plan a day of pampering once you hit a major milestone? Getting a massage or a new haircut can add to your confidence and it feels good to take care of ourselves as a reward! Check out SAFRA's list of promotions to get you down the path of indulgence!